Book Review – The Obesity Code

I enjoyed reading The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, MD. It is easy to follow and is written where the biology of our bodies is understandable. He uses simple analogies to drive understanding of complex concepts. It brings many of the concepts from his blog together cohesively. Following the annotations organized by chapter, there is an extensive topic index that should not be overlooked. Read this book for a new understanding of how we get fat and what to do about it.

“Virtually every person who has used caloric reduction for weight loss. And really, who hasn’t tried it? By every objective measure, this treatment is completely and utterly ineffective. Yet it remains the treatment of choice, defended vigorously by nutritional authorities.”

“Evidence-based medicine does not mean taking every piece of low-quality evidence at face value”

Chapter 6 – A New Hope

“In other words, before you can even begin to burn fat, you start feeling hungry an anxious because your glycogen is being depleted. If you continually refill your glycogen stores, you never need to use your fat stores for energy”

Chapter 8 – Cortisol

“Contrary to popular belief, sitting in front of the television or computer is a poor way to relieve stress. Instead, stress relief is an active process”

Chapter 10 – Insulin Resistance: The Major Player

“THE HUMAN BODY is characterized by the fundamental biological principle of homeostasis. If things change in one direction, the body reacts by changing in the opposite direction to return closer to its original state. For instance, if we become very cold, the body adapts by increasing body-heat generation. If we become very hot, the body sweats to try to cool itself. Adaptability is a prerequisite for survival and generally holds true for all biological systems. In other words, the body develops resistance. The body resists change out of its comfort range by adapting to it.”

Chapter 15 – The Diet Soda Delusion

“Calorie reduction is the main advantage of artificial sweeteners. But it is not calories that drives obesity; its insulin. Since artificial sweeteners also raise insulin levels, there is no benefit to using them.”